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Orthodynamic Roundup - Page 786

post #11776 of 19952
9/14/09 at 4:19pm
Got no fancy tubes (well, some not-so-fancy-ones) to heat this place up.

Instead, I've got the comfortable and warm-sounding Akai ASE40 Linear drive dynamic here. (It doesn't actually say 40-J. Maybe that's a Japanese thing.) Now, I've got to have a good listen to what the master modder has done. (except that I don't know how it sounded before.)
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Yamaha Stereo Headphones
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Fostex T50RP Closed Ear Stereo Headphones
post #11777 of 19952
9/14/09 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent View Post
Now, I've got to have a good listen to what the master modder has done.
Hadn't realised I was being put to the test , not that I am making excuses but this was a single shot and seemed to work pretty well.

looking forward to your thoughts regardless ..dB
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post #11778 of 19952
9/15/09 at 3:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent
I've got the comfortable and warm-sounding Akai ASE40 Linear drive dynamic here. (It doesn't actually say 40-J. Maybe that's a Japanese thing.)
Oo! interesting. Got some good closeups of the 40?


Quote:
Originally Posted by mypasswordis
Leaps of faith aren't my style. Too many things can go wrong.
You have to learn what to place your faith in. It could be argued that if you have a good idea of what will happen, it's not a true leap of faith any more. Life is full of paradoxen. How are you coming on that explication of the Euro Method of Dampness?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mypasswordis
At least it's not an electret.
Oh my word, yes, at least it's not that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mypasswordis
..everything bleeds into everything else.
I've always lived by the motto "There's nothing worse than a cheap graphic." What you want is a parametric EQ unit, where you can control the range over which the boost or cut operates. Yamaha built simple ones into their preamps in the '80s, and it was good quality stuff. Try a C-80 or C-85 someday. But the semiparametric in the Kyocera is easier to get good results from.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mypasswordis
I've tried to wear a pair [of Pro 30] and it is one of the most uncomfortable headphones I have ever tried in my life. Maybe I was doing something wrong.
It could have been a pair that had led a rough life. No one I recall has complained about the Pro 30's wearability, although there are certainly comfortabler 'phones.



Quote:
Originally Posted by dBel84
Trying some angled pads on the yhd2 - much better seal with less variability in bass with pressure on the cups. So far, so good.
Leatherified and woodified-- that's got to sound different from stock!

Quote:
Originally Posted by dBel84
Hadn't realised I was being put to the test
Hey, don't let 'em rile ya. They don't know what the 'phones sounded like stock, so you're safe. Just lay low..
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post #11779 of 19952
9/15/09 at 5:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dBel84 View Post
Hadn't realised I was being put to the test , not that I am making excuses but this was a single shot and seemed to work pretty well.

looking forward to your thoughts regardless ..dB
Perhaps the engineers at AKAI (or maybe fostex? or some one else entirely?) also affected the sound of it.... but so far it sounds good :-) Extension seems to be fine. Balance differs markedly from the Audeze. The first thing that I noticed is how drums are more up-front (louder, larger, closer) with the Akai.


Quote:
Originally Posted by wualta View Post
Oo! interesting. Got some good closeups of the 40?
Maybe one?
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post #11780 of 19952
9/15/09 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent View Post
Maybe one?
A good one, thanks.

Now-- what's inside, eh?
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post #11781 of 19952
9/15/09 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dBel84 View Post
A quick peak inside DAC's new akai
I suppose one could unscrew one or even all of the little screws there to take a picture. But what will happen? Will the driver fall out, or will it fall apart and then fall out?
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post #11782 of 19952
9/15/09 at 2:31pm
Looks a lot like the ASE-50 driver.

My guess is that it's reasonably safe to open it up. The ASE-50 driver sure was -- with the caviat that the driver membrane is more fragile than it looks, and you should avoid denting it.
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post #11783 of 19952
9/15/09 at 3:26pm
All right then. Since I'm clumsy I'll let the fragile part stay put.

the dynamic driver:


(the back magnet)


(for those of you who always wanted it as a poster)


Does it look similar to anything you have seen before?


EDIT:
Eric's ASE-50 driver (to compare with):
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post #11784 of 19952
9/15/09 at 3:46pm
Looks quite similar to the ASE-50.

I recall the ASE-50 didn't have a problem with bass so much that it just sounded nasal and boomy at the same time in the stock configuration. I need to revisit it and take another whack at the damping scheme.
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post #11785 of 19952
9/15/09 at 10:14pm
Thread Starter 
I revisited your posts about it yesterday and you said the DuPont Sontara wipes used as a damping layer brought the ASE-50 up from awful to "as of now i can finally listen to them without cringing".

How did you attach the Sontara to the back magnet so it wouldn't flap?
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post #11786 of 19952
9/16/09 at 1:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wualta View Post
I revisited your posts about it yesterday and you said the DuPont Sontara wipes used as a damping layer brought the ASE-50 up from awful to "as of now i can finally listen to them without cringing".

How did you attach the Sontara to the back magnet so it wouldn't flap?
1/4" sheet of reticulated foam - it's really thicker than ideal, but works.
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post #11787 of 19952
9/16/09 at 2:46pm
I'm still listening for any nasal colorations on the ASE-40. I'm not sure how that should (not) sound. I hope I won't hear it because I don't know what to do about it.

In contrast, Audeze has a more dry bass presentation, so perhaps that makes the Akai boomy. The Akai is more up front, with instruments much closer, warmer sound, and louder bass. The Audeze in contrast is more distanced with a more precise headstage, airier and sparklier highs.
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post #11788 of 19952
9/16/09 at 5:09pm
Is it likely that slim-ish dynamic headphones in the 70s were 150ohm?
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post #11789 of 19952
9/16/09 at 5:25pm
You thinking this might indeed be dynamic? It sure looked planar as under that metal plate was another magnet not unlike the "square holed" yamaha.

DAC, if you remove the damping I have used, you will hear this nasality. The space behind that driver is really restricted , this is why I opted for using an ultrathin but dense disc to damp the driver over and above what was already in place. The reason for the small felt spacer is that I have come to realise that a small airgap allows for more rumble in the bass - it can be tightened up by removing this gap. My ears like a little rumble.

..dB
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post #11790 of 19952
9/16/09 at 6:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dBel84 View Post
You thinking this might indeed be dynamic? It sure looked planar as under that metal plate was another magnet not unlike the "square holed" yamaha.
Oh no, the Akai is most definatetly ortho. I am enquiring upon an unknown 150ohm headphone .
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Yamaha Stereo Headphones
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Fostex T50RP Closed Ear Stereo Headphones
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